Court grants new date in Barefield trialA continuance was granted in the trial of Tyler J. Barefield during a pretrial hearing inside the Pope County Court House on Monday. Barefield is accused of killing Aaron Brock, 22, and Beau Dewitt, 22, at U-Pull-It Auto Salvage and hiding their bodies in a vehicle and crushing it at the salvage yard. Barefield’s court date was moved to Oct. 23 from June 12 after Barefield’s defense lawyer, Patrick Benca, cited complications reviewing security...

Murder suspect's court date MondayA Russellville man accused of shooting and killing two men last September, is scheduled to appear during a pretrial hearing Monday in Pope County Circuit Court. David Gibbons, prosecuting attorney for the Fifth Judicial District, said Friday that Tyler J. Barefield, 35, is expected to appear in front of Judge William "Bill" Pearson inside the Pope County Courthouse on Monday morning. Barefield, who had bond set at $850,000 on March 20 after he...

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BY SEAN INGRAMsean@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

High court allows judge to return to circuit benchLITTLE ROCK -- The Arkansas Supreme Court granted a petition last month to reinstate a circuit court judge who was arrested in January and pleaded guilty to DWI and reckless driving in April. Circuit Judge William "Bill" Pearson could return to the bench, justices ruled May 11, but noted he was prohibited from hearing all criminal cases while he is serving a suspended imposition of his sentence. Pearson has been back to work in Russellville an...

Third man pleads guilty to murderDANVILLE -- A Russellville man pleaded guilty to first-degree murder last month in circuit court and was sentenced to 48 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC). According to the 15th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Robert McCowan pleaded guilty on May 18 to first-degree murder, a class Y felony, for the 2016 murder of Randy Jackson of Havana. McCowan also pleaded guilty to an amended charge of residential burglar...

Man arrested in connection to Waco, Joplin shootingsKevin M. Long, 22, was arrested last Friday for his alleged involvement in a pair of shootings that occurred in Russellville on May 12 and May 21. Sgt. David Bevis with the Russellville Police Department testified the first shooting occurred at 401 North Waco Avenue and the second at 204 North Joplin Avenue, and that the second shooting was in retaliation for the incident that led to the first. Bevis said Long told his version of the story dur...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Man arrested after robbery in DardanelleDARDANELLE -- An Ola man was arrested Sunday and faces charges of aggravated robbery, theft of property and fleeing after an incident at a Dardanelle restaurant. According to a statement from Dardanelle Police Chief Montie Sims, officers were dispatched at approximately 11:04 a.m. Sunday to a robbery in progress at Subway in the Village Shopping Center. Employees told officers upon their arrival that a man wearing a yellow raincoat, with a dar...

Scammer threatens to bomb local churchThe Russellville Police Department responded to two false bomb threats over the weekend according to a police report. On Saturday, communication came through the printer at Arkansas Trading and Loan threatening to blow up the "whole block" if the business did not send money. Then, on Tuesday, Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Russellville received a threat that the church would be "blown up" if someone didn't pay $25,000. According to the po...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Clarksville man found dead, suspect in custodyCLARKSVILLE — The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) is investigating the death of a Clarksville man after he was found dead outside his residence Friday morning in Clarksville. According to a statement on the department’s website, Sheriff Larry Jones indicated the JCSO received a call about a shooting at the address 235 PR3555 in Clarksville. Sheriff’s deputies arrived at approximately 12:51 a.m. Friday and found Donald Skidmore, 38, dead...

Authorities say man raped teenTerry L. Scott, 38, was arrested after a woman filed a report alleging he sexually assaulted her daughter, who is 14. According to testimony given in felony bond hearings on Wednesday, Scott allegedly had intercourse with the victim despite her telling him "no" several times. Det. Steve Barker with the Russellville Police Department told District Judge Don Bourne that investigators monitored Scott's social media conversations, which seemed to ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

November trial set in hotel murderCONWAY -- The man accused of killing a Russellville native will be tried for capital murder in November in Faulkner County Circuit Court. The trial of Scotty Ray Gardner, 56, of Mayflower will begin Nov. 27 and is scheduled for two weeks. Prosecutors said Tuesday after a hearing in Conway that they are "not going to come off" seeking the death penalty for Gardner, who is charged with the strangulation of Susan "Heather" Stubbs. Stubbs, who gre...

UK police: 19 confirmed dead in explosion at Grande concertLONDON — An explosion struck an Ariana Grande concert in northern England late Monday, killing at least 19 people and injuring dozens in what police say they are treating as a terrorist attack. Greater Manchester Police said 19 people were confirmed dead and roughly 50 were injured by the explosion at Manchester Arena. Emergency vehicles were helping the injured and bomb disposal units were later seen outside the venue. There was mass panic af...

No bond for Yell County suspect, judge seals fileDARDANELLE -- The man charged with three counts of capital murder, including a Yell County Sheriff's deputy, was ordered jailed without bond Monday morning in Yell County Circuit Court. James Arthur Bowden, 42, entered a plea of not guilty to the three counts of capital murder in the Yell County Courthouse in Dardanelle. He was arrested after a five-hour standoff and the shooting deaths of Lt. Kevin Mainhart, 46; Rita Miller, 61; and Ciera Mil...

Officers recover 35 pounds of pot on I-40Amanda L. Hardwicke, 33, and Max H. Hester, 34, were arrested on Sunday after 35 pounds of high-grade marijuana was found in the vehicle they were driving on Interstate 40. According to Arkansas State Police, an officer stopped a silver jeep for swerving onto the right shoulder near the eastbound 73 mile-marker on I-40. The officer made contact with the occupants, who the officer identified as Hardwicke and Hester. According to a report, the v...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

'We have it from here'The call from Yell County Dispatch echoed across the streets around the Assembly of God church in Russellville, where friends, colleagues and family celebrated the life of Lt. Kevin C. Mainhart on Monday. "You are clear to go 10-7," the dispatcher said, broadcasting to the crowd from a nearby patrol car. "Rest in peace, my brother. We have it from here." 10-7 is a police 10-code meaning "off duty." Mainhart was killed in the line of duty durin...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley